PSLE: Theft at a drink stall

The day was hot and humid. The scorching sun at noon cast its rays on the baked ground with its intense heat radiating everywhere. Mingyao and I were drenched with sweat from head to toe. Basketball training was finally over. We were overcome with fatigue. The thirst was killing us! We decided to call it a day and go to the nearby drink stall to buy some ice-cold beverages to appease our parched throats.

After plodding for a while, we arrived at Mr Muthu’s drink stall. The Indian man, whose signature moustache was as curly as ever, greeted us with a cheerful grin and asked, “Coke for you, Mingyao, and Fanta for you, Rongxuan?” The boys nodded in unison. The stallholder always remembered his regular customers’ orders. Soon, the duo was seated on the bench, guzzling down their refreshing drinks with relish.

Out of the blue, Mingyao spotted a man acting suspiciously. Dressed in t-shirt and jeans, he had a long scar at the side of his face. His marble-black eyes darted slyly as he puffed rings of cigarette smoke into the air. He kept staring at the plastic pail of money that was brimming with notes. I noticed it too! We decided to spy on his movement since Mr Muthu was always busy chatting with his customers.

Suddenly, the man sprang into action, grabbed the bucket of money like a vice and took to his heels.

“Stop right there, you thief!” Ming Yao and I shouted in one accord. When the man heard us, he immediately escaped, running like an Olympic athlete. Alarmed, Mr Muthu also dashed out of his stall like a whizzing bullet while Ming Yao chased after the thief and I called the police.  

Soon, we came to a busy road. The vehicles were zooming past us non-stop. The thief managed to cross the road. Mingyao was adamant to nab the thief. As he was about to cross, Rongxuan grabbed him and yelled above the traffic din, “Mingyao, are you crazy!? You want to die? You are courting death!” Mingyao turned a deaf ear and gave chase.  

Bang! Mingyao, hit by a truck, flew a few metres away. I could hardly believe my eyes! My best friend was injured or could even be dead! The thief stared at the accident scene in disbelief. A tinge of guilt swept across his ashen-white face.  

Mr Muthu was in shock! Seeing the puddle of blood pooling on the tarmac ground ceaselessly, he fainted at the gory sight. All the traffic halted. The thief snapped out of his trance and ran away until his silhouette became a dot in a distance.

Someone alerted the ambulance. Soon, the wail of sirens reverberated through the air. The paramedics came and whisked both Mr Muthu and Mingyao to the nearest hospital. I stayed behind to give the police my statement. Fortunately, Mingyao survived and Mr Muthu was discharged on the same day. 

A mixture of remorse and relief inundated me. I was feeling a sense of regret as I did not manage to stop Mingyao from dashing across the road but immensely relieved that he recuperated well from his injuries. However, what was infuriating was that the thief was subsequently never caught.